ST 2999

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2999

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 14^th April 2019

BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***

I’m going to whisper this very quietly just in case he goes all tricky on us again, but I think Dada has settled down in the Sunday puzzle slot – a nice crossword with a couple to make you scratch your head, but all the clues are lovely and straightforward to explain, which is just what this very busy blogger ordered.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Medicine administered, drop fed to beastly female (6)
DOSAGE – SAG (drop) ‘fed to’ DOE (beastly female [deer])

4a    A card she played in party game (8)
CHARADES – An anagram (played) of A CARD SHE

9a    Footwear in moccasins and a loafer (6)
SANDALS – Lurking in moccasinS AND A Loafer

10a    After embroidery, I undress various things (8)
SUNDRIES – An anagram (after embroidery) of I UNDRESS

12a    Dance anything but a dream, did you say? (4)
REEL – A homophone (did you say) of REAL (anything but a dream)

13a    Country folk behind you (5)
YEMEN – MEN (folk) behind YE (you)

14a    Shop that was run by me, turned over (4)
DELI – A reversal (turned over) of I LED (was run by me)

17a    Demonstratively cheery rugby players drinking (12)
BACKSLAPPING – The BRB has this as 4-8 – BACKS (rugby players) LAPPING (drinking)

20a    Commonplace affair, rotten deed (6-2-4)
MATTER-OF-FACT – MATTER (affair) OFF (rotten) ACT (deed)

23a    Run away in defeat (4)
ROUT – R (run) OUT (away)

24a    Biblical king, that man getting stick (5)
HEROD – HE (that man) ROD (stick)

25a    Blue whale’s tail seen somewhere off Scotland’s west coast (4)
SKYE – SKY (blue) E (the ‘tail’ of whalE)

28a    Part-timer behind original design (8)
TEMPLATE – TEMP (part-timer) LATE (behind)

29a    African country like that leads (6)
SOMALI – MALI (country) going after (that leads) SO (like that)

30a    Perfect cherry drink for dog (8)
AIREDALE – AI (perfect) RED (cherry) ALE (drink)

31a    Court and office acting badly (6)
WOODEN – WOO (court) DEN (office)

Down

1d    Illustrate manufacture of rice beds (8)
DESCRIBE – An anagram (manufacture) of RICE BEDS

2d    Writing piece, time passed (8)
SENTENCE – Part of a piece of writing or time passed in prison

3d    Travel towards nanny, for example (4)
GOAT – GO (travel) AT (towards)

5d    Box completing bingo line — is one chirpy? (5,7)
HOUSE SPARROW – One of these small birds was chirping outside the window as I was solving this crossword. SPAR (box) completing or filling in between HOUSE (bingo!) and ROW (line)

6d    Dirty cap removed from oil (4)
RUDE – Remove the cap or first letter from CRUDE oil

7d    Club — one going down around start of recession (6)
DRIVER – DIVER (one going down) around the R at the start of Recession

8d    Bird family inferior to relative (6)
SISKIN – KIN (family) below (inferior to) SIS (relative)

11d    Ludicrous plan mattered in section of business (12)
DEPARMENTAL – An anagram (ludicrous) of PLAN MATTERED

15d    Carrier in the morning brings tea (5)
ASSAM – ASS (carrier) AM (in the morning)

16d    Potential weapon provided in joint, sawn off (5)
KNIFE – IF (provided) in KNEe (joint ‘sawn off’ or without its final letter)

18d    Support worker shot, sportingly? (8)
BACKHAND – BACK (support) HAND (worker) – I’m on the side of the word ‘sportingly’ needing to be in the clue

19d    Greek articles around Northern Ireland (8)
ATHENIAN – A, THE and AN (articles) round NI (Northern Ireland)

21d    African plant for afternoon meal (6)
PROTEA – PRO (for) TEA (afternoon meal)

22d    Subdued complaint as alcoholic double upended (6)
MURMUR – A double RUM ‘upended’ or reversed

26d    Odd pieces in pile, old coppers? (4)
PLOD – The old letters in PiLe OlD

27d    Engine with a screw loose? (4)
LOCO – A double definition to finish – one an engine and another an informal term as is ‘with a screw loose’